Editor's Note

The Charge

God is in his heaven…all's right with the world.

Opening Statement

Over a decade after it originally premiered, Neon Genesis Evangelion finds itself
being rebooted by original creator Hideaki Anno. Evangelion 1.01: You are
(not) Alone lands on DVD courtesy of Funimation. Is this fresh start worth
the effort for fans of the series?

Facts of the Case

Tokyo-3 still stands after most of civilization was decimated in the Second
Impact. Now the city endures the ceaseless onslaught of the deadly Angels,
bizarre creatures bent on eradicating the human race. To combat this strange and
ruthless enemy, the government agency NERV constructs a fleet of towering
humanoid machines, the Evas, and Shinji Ikari is called into action, reluctantly
taking his place at the controls of Eva Unit 01.

Living a life of loneliness and questioning his existence, Shinji struggles
to accept responsibility for mankind's battle for survival in this visually
striking rebuild of one of the most important anime of all time. Shinji will
fight the Angels alongside the only person who might understand his plight, Rei
Ayanami, the elusive and frail pilot of Eva Unit 00. In this not to be missed
film experience, Shinji and Rei will struggle to learn a simple truth: when
carrying the burden of humanity's survival on your shoulders, you are not
alone.

The Evidence

The heaping praise piled upon Neon Genesis Evangelion has always been
something of a mystery to me. I recall the hubbub generated when the series
first appeared on VHS back in the day, and I, like so many other Anime drones of
the era, spent a fortune amassing the collection. The animation by Gainax was
relatively weak for the era, the characters were pretty unlikeable, and that
final act, oh god that final act. I'd always liked a good giant robot anime, but
everything about these sorts of series that made them appealing to me was
stripped from Evangelion. It would be years later, and after the profitable eBay
sale of my old VHS tapes, that I would come to realize that the show's success
hinged on what had initially turned me off; it was mehca anime for people who
didn't particularly like the usual giant robot shenanigans. "Eva"
would go on to inspire countless imitators, and remains a cultural icon in anime
circles.

Which brings us to Evangelion 1.01: You Are (Not) alone, which
essentially takes the first arc of the TV series and reworks it into a feature
length animated film. This isn't merely an edit job, the movie features all new
animation and audio, and the story has been tightened up a bit, giving the whole
affair a more accessible feel without compromising the original plot. The
animation quality will definitely please long time fans, familiar scenes are
presented in almost frame by frame fashion, though with cutting edge techniques.
This is how you do a remake properly, unlike the horrid bastardization of Ghost in the Shell that popped up
this past year. I'd recommend people who may be curious about the series skip it
all together and make Evangelion 1.01 your starting point.

Funimation's disc is top notch as well, the high quality animation gets a
flawless transfer and an all new English dub with a lively 5.1 sound mix. Some
of the old cast reappear, but people who're used to the old ADV dub may be a
little let down by missing voices, though the quality here far outstrips the old
discs.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

The main characters In Evangelion 1.01, much like the series before
it, are just plain unlikeable. Shinji spends most of the film whining or moping
with his walkman (probably listening to 'My Chemical Romance'). His old man,
Gendo, is a gruff uncaring father with little faith in his son's abilities, and
Rei is cold, unfeeling, and distant. There's just not a lot to grab onto
emotionally. This is all stuff that's come from the source material, and this
angsty "emo" fare was originally one of the show's selling points, so
I can't be too damning I guess.

Speaking of holdovers from the show, I hope Anno deviates a little more from
the source as time goes on. 1.01 pretty much sticks to the plot of the old
series' first 6 or so episodes, which is good in a sense, but it makes me dread
what's coming, as the old show completely destroyed itself as it entered the
final stages. I can only hope the next 3 films have some plot deviations, as I
don't think I can handle my psyche getting mindraped as badly as it was while
watching the last 3 or 4 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Also worth a notice, there's been talk about the special edition
Evangelion 1.11 winding its way to R1 DVD and Bluray sometime in 2010,
essentially a "director's cut" of 1.01 with a few minutes of
additional scenes. Buyers may want to play the patience game and hold out for
that one, as you'll get what is considered the better cut of the film, as well
as some supplemental materials, since the current disc is as barebones as it
gets.

Closing Statement

Evangelion 01: You are (Not) Alone proves to be both a functional and
entertaining reboot, and yet very loyal to the old material. Fans should be
pleased with the new take on events, and today's high tech animation techniques
give Evangelion the gravitas it deserves, even if the main characters are still
as unlikeable as always. Funimation has also put together a nice disc, as
always, but there's talk of a more enhanced version coming sometime in 2010. So
buyer beware of double dips.